


Remember Me In Parting Memories

by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst and Feels, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Canon Divergence, Character Death, F/M, Friendship, Love, Memories, Recounting Memories, Timeline What Timeline, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 07:32:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19421371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns/pseuds/DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns
Summary: In his final hours, he would remember her.





	Remember Me In Parting Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Half-Blood Prince Drabble Elimination Challenge (Round 1) on Draco's Den! Polyjuice Potion Theme - Time Limit

He didn’t have much time. The frailty of his condition was becoming more evident by the second. He was bleeding out of his neck, surely; he was spasming worse than Finnigan suffering from one of his frequent potion accidents. 

He had to do this, though. He had to extract his memory. They had to know why before it was too late.

Severus was aware of his attributes as a wizard, a Potions Master, a man. He knew how it looked to other people. He didn’t give a rat’s arse about their opinion. They didn’t live his life, his parents, his lost loves. 

He snorted harshly to himself, prompting a rough pinch of pain to soar through his neck. The wizard gritted his teeth, the heels of his feet scraping the stone floor beneath him. 

They would know about Lily. That was the one they would find necessary to his reasons for playing this role in the war. He would never allow them to know about Andromeda. 

Lily was his reason for the Potter boy and his safety; Andromeda was his reason for living as long as he had. 

_ Severus was kneeling on the cold floor of the Hogwarts corridor, having been pushed thus dropping his rolls of parchment to the floor. After his one slip of the tongue at Lily, she’s refused to help him as she would before. Instead, she gave him a pained look.  _

_ Someone else kneeled in front of him. Severus was crushing his parchment to balls in his hand when he looked up slowly. He noted the skirt first; the pleated material didn’t belong to Lily. As he continued to note the student’s appearance, he caught sight of the Slytherin tie around her neck.  _

_ He held his breath when their eyes met. At first, her dark, curly hair caused him to believe it was Bellatrix kneeling across from him, but he knew that the witch only cared for torment. She’d have been cackling at his pathetic misfortune by now.  _

_ It had to be her sister, Andromeda. They’d hardly spoken before, barely crossing paths with one another–Severus ensured that he would slip through the common room without dealing with the other Slytherins often. _

_ Her eyes were softer than Bellatrix’s. They held the formal nature of a Black, but the compassionate flame flickering through the brown in her eyes told him that she was nothing like her sisters yet more respectful than her cousin.  _

_ “I won’t ask you if you’re all right,” she said. “It would be redundant.” Andromeda reached forward, taking the parchment he was trying to ruin. “You shouldn’t destroy your work over frustration either. They win if you do.”  _

_ Severus mumbled bitterly, but her hand touched his cheek. The brush of her fingertips against his skin provoked a rush of heat to his face. Only a particular redhead had done that before.  _

_ “Don’t let them win,” she said firmly. She helped Severus gather the rest of his things before standing up and brushing the dust from her knees. “Good day to you, Severus.” Those were the words she’d spoken before spinning on her heels and leaving.  _

_ He watched her leave, the thumping in his heart pacing quicker than before. There were more questions pestering his mind, but he wanted nothing more than to get out of the blasted hallway.  _

Severus felt the life draining from his body, the venom taking its next step in his downfall. It took him away from the memory that started it all. It won’t take him from the rest. The thought of her made his end bearable. 

But he knew time was going fast to finish him off; he had to act quickly. With a shaky hand, he closed his eyes and chanted the spell that would take the necessary memories away. A vial rested in his lap. It was spattered with a bit of his blood, but they’d better get over that fact as this was important. 

The grey wisps were guided to the vial, and when the deed was done, the wizard slumped further against the wall. He couldn’t move his neck in certain ways; it felt so painfully numb it would kill him quicker if he tried. 

_ “Must you slump, Severus,” Andromeda chided. “It ruins the perfect position to read.”  _

_ Severus snorted, looking around the area of the library for the umpteenth time. “There is no perfect position to read in, Andromeda. Either you read your book or you don’t. It’s simple.”  _

_ Andromeda’s hand rested on the page of the book sitting in front of her as she looked at Severus. “Fine. It may not be perfect, but it’s comfortable. And stop looking around like they’re going to jump across the table. You’re safe with me.”  _

_ He met her eyes, the soft smile she gave him. He knew she meant her words. He was safe with her.  _

Severus closed his eyes again, his breathing was heavier and raspier. “Oh, Andromeda,” he moaned. “I felt so safe with you…” 

It was his choices that kept them apart. The gruesome knowledge of death and sudden urge to protect his redhead caused him to make the choice. One or the other. It couldn’t be both. When he lost one, he lost the other. It was all his fault. He knew that. There was no going back. Time was up for him. 

As the remaining essence of his life slipped again, Severus caught the sound of rushing feet heading his way. It better be that insolent boy to retrieve this vial. They would need it. His body began to convulse with his final seconds, but he felt fingertips brush against his cheek. A familiar heat hit his body in the last moment. 

“Oh, Severus,” he heard her whisper. “It was not your time.” 

His body had stilled, but he felt her arms wrap around him.  _ She was here, _ but she was wrong. His time was up.


End file.
